Our Mayor continues to pitch Pickering airport. A pity he chose not to come to our Ag Study release, where he could have heard all about an alternative that has a lot more chance of happening. (Note: Mr van’t Hof has been nominated as Durham Region's representative on the GTAA's Board of Directors.)DurhamRegion.com

Still more great coverage of the launch of our Ag. Study. Other articles appeared in durhamregion.com and yorkregion,com, and the global anti-airport campaign, GAAM, tweeted out our news too.Uxbridge Cosmos

The Ontario government has used numerous databases to map "what exists on the ground today" for the entire Greater Golden Horseshoe, indicating three major features: settlements, prime agricultural and other rural areas, and natural heritage areas. The salient point for our purposes is that, effective February 9, 2018, Ontario has declared all of Pickering north of Highway 7 as a permanent prime agricultural area, except for the currently recognized settlements at Green River, Brougham, Claremont, Greenwood, Balsam, and Kinsale. This doesn't solve our problems; a previously announced federal expropriation for an airport takes land-use precedence. However, land use planning is under the jurisdiction of the provinces. If the federal government declares the airport expropriation an abandoned project or decides not to use some of the expropriated land for an airport, the custom is to defer to provincial land-use planning. Ontario's wishes now cannot be clearer: north Pickering is permanent farmland.OMAFRA

(editorial) And it’s not because this airport is finally happening. It’s because we tracked the City of Pickering every step of the way, writing op-eds and letters to get the facts out, doing interviews, addressing Council, alerting residents who then packed the Council Chambers whenever there were attempts to push pro-airport motions through… We can rightly take credit for this “award.”durhamregion.com

We mourn the passing of Dr William (Bill) Lishman, M.S.M., LL.D. (February 12, 1939 – December 30, 2017) -- a creative genius, original member of People or Planes, member and friend of Land Over Landings. And so much more than that. A terrible loss.Globe and Mail

In the January 2018 issue of On the Road, the Whitchurch-Stouffville Economic Development Office has published a fascinating history of the early days of the proposed Pickering airport from a Stouffville perspective.Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville

You Had to be There Dept. While durhamregon.com covered the meeting’s exchange regarding Staff’s having made reference in a letter to “Pickering International Airport,” the article omitted to report (or even hint at) our Treasurer's synopsis of the GTAA's new Master Plan, showing that Pearson will not be going "full" in the next 20 years, and still has a sixth runway to build if that point is ever reached. Within 5 minutes, he destroyed Pickering's desperate campaign for an airport to provide local economic development and thousands of jobs. The minute-taker captured it. City of Pickering Minutes

Some "typo"! Pickering's Chief Administrative Officer blames his staff for mistakenly typing "Pickering Airport Feasibility Study" when they really meant to type "a public engagement initiative on the Economic and Employment Impact within the Highway 407 Corridor, which includes the Pickering Innovation Corridor and the potential airport in Pickering" as a $150,000 recommended development charge in the 2018 budget. He has dug himself in deeper by saying that the $150,000 is really being spent to "seek feedback from residents about both sites, even if the airport hasn't been approved." Is Pickering awash in tax money despite Council’s statements to the contrary?CBC News

In an op-ed, our Chair refutes arguments heard at Pickering Council on October 10 and writes that, in the future, our local jobs will be provided by agriculture and tourism, not an airport.DurhamRegion.com

Pickering wants Amazon's second headquarters within Seaton employment lands, and slips the non-existent Pickering airport into the bid recommendations without notice to constituents (other than some airport supporters). The vote passes – an historic about-face by Council – even though Pearson meets Amazon’s stated requirements and a Pickering airport isn't needed.DurhamRegion.com

(letter to the editor) Writer Joe Robinson is tired of reading “the nonsense about the Pickering airport lands” and how “these people” go on about the prime farmland able to provide food and jobs. He sees the future in an airport. more warehouses, and an expanded GM.DurhamRegion.com

A year ago, Dr Polonsky reported that "The Government of Ontario does not have an official position on the future development of the Pickering Lands." Now it does? Or is this a red herring?DurhamRegion.com

Pickering’s mayor thinks that Seaton “would be the perfect host” for Amazon's second headquarters, offering accommodation for “50,000 employees.” The mayor even offers the mirage of a never-never airport! He seems untroubled by Amazon’s notorious labour practices and appears to have no qualms over inviting them to be inflicted on Pickering residents.DurhamRegion.com

(letter to the editor) Our Chair thanks the editor but takes issue with how the Pickering News-Advertiser's recent coverage of Minister Morneau's visit to Joyfully Organic Farm was reported.DurhamRegion.com

Ontario intends to protect the farmland on the entire proposed Pickering airport site as part of its newly announced "agricultural system" draft plan for the GGH. The Crombie Commission had recommended that Ontario (a) recognise the strategic importance of agriculture to its economy and (b) protect its prime farmland and the infrastructure supporting agriculture to ensure the long-term economic viability of the farms and rural communities. OMAFRA has taken the first step, releasing a draft map of the prime agricultural areas and agri-food infrastructure identified to receive "Greenbelt-like protection" by land-use planners in the GGH. A 90-day public consultation period (ends Oct. 4) has been opened on the proposed agricultural land base map. Because the land was expropriated for a "major, international airport", the federal government has the authority to use the Federal Lands for an airport. But for any use other than an airport, Ottawa has traditionally deferred to provincial authority. About a third of the remaining Federal Lands has been within the provincial Greenbelt/Oak Ridges Moraine plan since 2005. If the proposed prime agricultural area designation is implemented, Ontario's direction to land-use planners will be that these lands must be preserved for agriculture/natural green space, if not used for an airport.Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

The remaining Federal Lands are the perfect location for some incubator farms, which help young farmers get started. Our new, illustrated map includes this concept. Here’s evidence that an incubator farm is thriving at Ste Scholastique, on farmland that was expropriated for Mirabel airport.Incubateur d'Entreprises Agroalimentaires de Mirabel (IEAM)

Some Pickering councillors apparently don't understand that the RNUP is "urban" and already crossed by several of the busiest CN/CP rail lines in Canada, carrying all Montréal-Toronto freight/VIA Rail trains, as well as GO trains. The RNUP does not own land occupied by existing "public infrastructure" such as communications and power substations, plus hydro, and rail and road corridors. Pickering councillors are apparently unaware that the RNUP Act specifically allows up to 200 hectares (494 acres) of parkland to be used for future "public utilities or transportation corridors." The Park has been planned to accommodate transportation growth, including any high speed rail corridor, yet some councillors used the Park (and potential future airport) as reasons to shoot down a sensible gateway proposalDurhamRegion.com

From last year's driest summer in living memory to this wettest spring on record. Think of all the farmers who are facing challenges getting their crops in, or, in the case of fruit and vegetable farmers, salvaging the quality of their spring crops. Locally, just over half the Federal Lands have been planted, and with all the recent relentless rain it will take several days of dry weather to get back on the land, with little leeway left for sowing. Normally, spring grain crops sown after Canada Day are increasingly likely to be hit with frost before they mature. This image is of a Huron County corn field. With good field tile drainage, it will dry quickly, unlike the Federal Lands, where many tiles are plugged after 45 years of no maintenance.Twitter capture

The Tapscotts continue to live on their home farm, expropriated in 1972 for Pickering airport. Ron Tapscott is the last full-time farmer still living on the remaining Federal Lands. He says last Friday's heavy rainfall means that he will not sow a crop on a third of his fields this year.Land Over Landings, Facebook

Amendments to the Rouge National Urban Park became law on June 19, 2017. The changes ensure that "ecological integrity" principles are applied to the natural habitat areas but don't "prevent the carrying out of agricultural activities" on the Park’s farmlands. Management continues to work with the farmers and other agricultural experts to figure out how to achieve the goal of more sustainable and diversified farming as specified in the Park's draft management plan.CNW Newswire